


Ryuji's Friend

by vivvav



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, The AFR Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav
Summary: Nearly a year after Ryuji's life is ruined by a certain gym teacher, his mother is shocked to see him come home with the most unexpected thing: A new friend.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 214





	Ryuji's Friend

The past year had been difficult for the Sakamotos. Well, more difficult, that is to say. Shizuka and her son Ryuji had always had their troubles, both back when she was with her no-good abusive alcoholic husband and then still after he left them. She’d done her best to raise Ryuji on her own. And in some ways it was easy. At his core, Ryuji was a good kid. He was loud, brash, and kind of slow on the uptake sometimes, but he was also a good-natured, sweet, caring, straightforward person. The kind of young man who could seem boorish and unthinking on the outside, but his first nature was always to help others if he could. Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t always mesh with authority. And while this had been a source of some minor troubles all throughout his youth, it didn’t become a serious issue until he entered high school.

Shizuka was so proud when Ryuji got accepted into Shujin Academy. Even the world’s most love-blind mother would have to admit that Ryuji wasn’t exactly skilled when it came to schoolwork, but he was able to get into such a prestigious institution thanks in large part to his athletic ability. Shizuka was sure that this was when Ryuji would finally flourish. Even though he was just a freshman, they were already calling him the star of the track team! After everything they’d been through, Ryuji could finally blaze a path to a bright, wonderful future, all thanks to his boundless energy and commitment to the sport.

And then her son crossed paths with Suguru Kamoshida.

To tell the full truth, Shizuka was actually excited when she learned the man would be taking over coach duties for Ryuji’s track team. After all, he was a national hero of sorts, an Olympic gold medalist! Sure, Ryuji complained that he was overworking them, and while Shizuka was sympathetic to her son’s woes, she honestly believed that if a great man like that was pushing the team harder, it was in their best interests. Even as Ryuji’s descriptions of track practice got harsher and harsher, she told herself that it was just the kind of thing it took to be world class. Surely all this pain and toil would be worth it when Ryuji himself became an Olympic gold medalist.

Oh, what a fool she had been.

Kamoshida broke her son’s leg. Destroyed his running career and got him kicked off the team. And Shizuka couldn’t even complain about it, because all the witnesses said that Ryuji attacked him first. That the teacher was just acting in self-defense. And Shizuka knew there must have been something wrong, some part of the story she was missing. Ryuji could have a short temper, but he’d never just attack somebody unprovoked. But she couldn’t prove that to the school. Frankly, it was a miracle that Ryuji wasn’t being expelled altogether, though from her meeting with the principal, she suspected that the school administration knew more than they were letting on. But she was just too relieved that Ryuji would be allowed to continue his education. Even if he was now branded a delinquent.

And Shizuka never truly believed that this was Ryuji’s fault. No, her son’s label was her shame. This was her failure as a mother. Her failure for not properly raising Ryuji to not attack the high-profile gym teacher, whatever his reason might have been (for some reason Ryuji wouldn’t tell her, just saying it’d only upset her more to know). Her failure for not defending her son better, for not being able to take the man who broke her son’s leg and the school administration protecting him properly to task. But most of all, Shizuka felt ashamed in the pride she’d felt until the incident. After everything her ex-husband had done to Ryuji, she idly stood by as Ryuji described the abuse another older man was subjecting him to, even deluding herself into thinking it must somehow be a good thing.

When she and Ryuji left the principal’s office, all she could do was apologize for failing as a mother. Because now her son, sweet, earnest, caring Ryuji, was being called one of the worst things you could call a young man. He was a delinquent, abandoned by his educators and friends, looked down on by everyone except her. And a young man needed more allies in the world than just his mother. And nearly a year after the incident, Ryuji still had none.

* * *

**May 2nd, 2016**

Ryuji’s behavior had been strange lately. In the past couple weeks he’d gone from being angry all the time to acting like something big was going to happen. What, exactly, Shizuka hadn’t been sure of. Sometimes Ryuji seemed worried about something, though he wouldn’t say what. At other times he actually seemed happy, the way he had been before he started high school, but again, he wouldn’t tell her why. It seemed like Ryuji knew something, but he was keeping uncharacteristically quiet about it. This behavior had continued all the way until the night before, when Ryuji told Shizuka he had something to tell her, only to stand in silence for a moment and then wish her goodnight. Whatever was going on with Ryuji, Shizuka just hoped he wasn’t getting himself into more trouble.

And then the news broke: Suguru Kamoshida, the man who ruined her son’s life, broke down and confessed in front of the entire school to physical and sexual abuse of his students. Shizuka had hoped to catch Ryuji before he left school and… well, she wasn’t sure what exactly. Celebrate with him, taking him to some big meaty dinner? Comfort him now that his long ordeal was over? March angrily together to Principal Kobayakawa and demand a formal apology? Maybe some combination of all three? Shizuka wasn’t sure, but she had to see her son immediately.

Shizuka left work early when she heard the news, heading to Shujin quick as she could. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn’t the only one. She got to Shujin Academy just a couple minutes after classes ended, but in addition to lingering students, the immediate area was surrounded by police, the press, and an army of concerned parents. Unable to force herself through the crowd, Shizuka texted Ryuji to let him know that she was at the gates and to come meet her. She quickly received a text back that he was going to be hanging back at school for a while, and that he’d meet her at home later. Figuring Ryuji was just waiting for the mob outside to disperse and recognizing that could take a good while, Shizuka agreed and went home. As the hours passed and the sun got lower and lower in the sky, she messaged Ryuji a few more times, only getting the odd “I’m fine” in response. Head spinning from all the excitement, Shizuka retreated to her bedroom to lie down for a while in a futile attempt to calm herself.

Finally, right before dark, she heard the apartment door open.

“Yo, I’m back!” Ryuji shouted.

“Well it’s about time!” Shizuka slowly forced herself off the bed. “Why didn’t you get home sooner? Did the media try to question you? What did you say to them?”

“Nah, nothin’ like that” Ryuji said through the door. “We were just hangin’ out is all.”

“‘We’?”

Shizuka opened the door to her room to see Ryuji standing in the middle of the apartment, another boy his age hanging back near the front door. He was lean, had messy black hair, and black-framed glasses.

“We got company” Ryuji said. “This is my buddy Ren”.

“Thank you for having me in your home.” Ren bowed stiffly. “My name is Ren Amamiya. I hope this isn’t an intrusion.”

As Ren stood up straight, a tiny black cat’s head popped out of the boy’s bag, meowing. Ryuji rolled his eyes as Ren sighed.

“And this is Morgana” Ren added. “Ryuji said you’d be cool with us coming over, Sakamoto-San.”

“Call me Shizuka” she said. “I was waiting for my son to get home before starting on dinner. Would you like to join us, Ren-Kun?”

“Are you sure?” Ren asked. “I mean, I never say no to a nice home-cooked meal, but Morgana’s gonna get cranky if he has to wait until we get home for me to feed him.”

“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Shizuka smiled at the cat. “I was planning on making mackerel tonight. I’m sure we can set aside a nice-sized portion of fish for your little friend there.”

The cat meowed happily. Ren chuckled as Ryuji shook his head.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine with that” Ren said. “Thank you, Shizuka-San.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Shizuka rolled up her sleeves. “Just give me a little time to get everything ready. Dinner should be ready within the hour.”

“Do you need any help, Mom?” Ryuji asked.

“You cook?” Ren looked at Ryuji in surprise.

“I mean, not really, but…” Ryuji hunched over and rubbed the back of his head in that way he always did when he was flustered. “It’d be kinda crappy to spring a surprise dinner guest on my mom and just expect her to do more work, yeah?”

“It’s an extra bit of fish and rice” Shizuka said. “I’m sure Ren-Kun didn’t come here to sit by his lonesome while we trip all over each other in the kitchen. You boys keep yourselves busy while I prepare everything.”

“Alright! Thanks, Mom!” Ryuji ran over to his room. “C’mon, dude! Lemme show you my system!”

“Is it really that big a deal?” Ren asked. “I’ve played arcade games before.”

“A home console’s totally different!” Ryuji shut the door behind them, but his voice could still be heard loud and clear. “For real, have you been livin’ under a rock?”

Shizuka heard the cat meow again right before she started to filter out the boys’ conversation. After a very stressful afternoon, she suddenly found herself in a giddy mood as she began preparing dinner. It had been a long time since Ryuji’d had any friends, and now he had someone coming over after school to hang out and play games. It was like the fall of Kamoshida was some kind of sign, the defeat of the man who ruined Ryuji’s life serving as the opening curtain for the boy’s life to get back on track.

At the same time, Shizuka had to wonder, was this boy Ren the thing her son had been so cagey about lately? Could the thrill of meeting someone new his age who was willing to spend time with him what had him so happy sometimes, and were his worries about potentially scaring this new friend off why he was nervous at other times?

Honestly, Shizuka wasn’t so sure about that. She certainly didn’t think her son was dumb the way many others did, but that still seemed a little emotionally complex for Ryuji. He wasn’t the kind of young man who was prone to worrying about what others thought about him. Whatever Ryuji’s odd behavior had been about, it seemed finding out would have to wait. For now, Shizuka could just enjoy a normal, pleasant dinner with her son, his friend, and a cat. Well, the cat might be a bit of a stretch. Shizuka was a dog person. But there was no need to bring that up.

With the mackerel grilled, the rice cooked, and the table set (plus a small plate with some fish on it for the cat on the floor nearby), Shizuka approached Ryuji’s door to let the boys know dinner was ready. Right before, knocking, she heard a very loud string of meows from the cat.

“Don’t get pissed at the game!” Ryuji yelled. “It’s your own damn fault you suck!”

More meowing.

“He’s got a point” Ren said. “These controllers aren’t exactly designed for paws.”

Were they… playing video games with the cat? And pretending it could talk? What kind of strange new friend had Ryuji made, exactly? Or was this some kind of Internet cat video thing? If cats could be taught to dance and play instruments, maybe they could be taught to play video games. It wasn’t like Shizuka knew a lot about games herself. Well, whyever the boys were doing this, pondering it wasn’t going to keep the mackerel warm.

“Dinner time!” Shizuka knocked on Ryuji’s door. “Come and get it!”

Within a minute everyone was sitting at the table. Ren watched in amazement as Shizuka and Ryuji both immediately went for a large bowl of ginger in the middle of the table, which they began liberally adding to their fish. Noticing that her guest wasn’t doing the same, Shizuka began offering Ren the ginger, which he turned down as tactfully as he could.

“I appreciate it, Shizuka-San, but I think I’ll be fine with my meal as-is.”

“Suit yourself, dude.” Ryuji heaped more ginger onto his plate, Ren pretty sure the blond’s dinner was more spice than fish at this point. “More for us!”

“So, this is a family thing, huh?” Ren eyed Shizuka’s plate, which wasn’t quite as over-the-top as Ryuji’s but not too far behind her son’s either. “This is the most ginger I’ve seen since the two of us first met.”

“How did you boys meet?” Shizuka asked. “Are you in the same class?”

“No” Ryuji said.

“A club, then?”

“Not exactly.” Ren shook his head. “I was lost on my first day of school. I ran into Ryuji and he helped me get there.”

“Wait a second…” Shizuka looked at Ryuji. “Is that the same day I got a call from the school saying you’d missed half the day?”

“Yeah, that was my fault.” Ren smiled bashfully. “I was asking for directions and got on the wrong train, then Ryuji followed me to tell me to get off and the doors closed behind us. It turned out to be an express line that took us really far away, then we had to deal with delays on the way back. The whole thing was just a mess.”

The cat looked up from its dinner and meowed, which seemed to tick Ryuji off. Shizuka chose to ignore this and focus on her guest.

“So if that was your first day of school, I take it that you’re a transfer student, Ren-Kun?”

“Yeah, I just came to Tokyo a few weeks ago.”

“From where?”

“Akiota.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“I’d be surprised if you had. It’s a small town near Hiroshima. There’s not a lot of people that live there.”

“I see. So what brings you to Tokyo?”

Everything suddenly went quiet. Shizuka looked up from her plate to see Ren starting down at his intensely, brow knit. Ryuji had also stopped eating and had a serious look on his face, and even the cat had stopped nibbling away at his dinner and looked up at the table.

Ryuji broke the silence.

“Uh… That’s kinda a sensitive subject for him, Mom. This guy went through some kinda… bad stuff back home.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Shizuka looked back at Ren. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, Ren-Kun.”

“No,” Ren said, “it’s fine. I should probably get used to telling more people about it. It all started a couple months ago.”

Ren told Shizuka a story that was just as upsetting and heartbreaking as what had happened to her own son the previous year. What began as a normal walk home soon turned into a good deed that vehemently did not go unpunished. One minute he’s trying to defend a woman from a drunken pervert, the next minute that same pervert is standing tall as this noble boy gets dragged away by the police, all because he had some kind of status. And now he’s been sent far away from his parents and the only home he’s ever known, to the big city, and he doesn’t even live in a proper home.

“An attic!?” Shizuka dropped her chopsticks upon hearing about Ren’s living conditions. “How awful! A young man shouldn’t live in such a cramped and filthy space!”

“It’s not like that at all.” Ren shook his head. “Well, it was when I first got there, but I cleaned it out. Now it’s really spacious. I’ve got my bed, a couch, a TV, a work desk. I’ve even started to decorate!” Ren turned to Ryuji. “Remember that fake ramen bowl you gave me? I’ve got this shelf by my bed I’m displaying it on.”

“What, the thing they gave us at Ogikubo?” Ryuji laughed. “You actually kept that?”

“I was sick at looking at an empty shelf.”

“‘Ogikubo’?” Shizuka looked at Ryuji in surprise. “Ryuji, did you two go to that ramen shop there?”

“Yeah.” Ryuji returned to eating his dinner. “Why?”

“Well, you haven’t been there since, well…” Shizuka found her mood coming down. “The incident.”

“Yeah, well, that stuff’s all in the past” Ryuji said. “Besides, this guy’s been helpin’ me get back into runnin’.”

“You’re running again too!?” Shizuka’s mood instantly picked back up. “Are you going to rejoin the track team?”

“Uh… I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure?” Shizuka clasped her hands together excitedly. “With everything that’s happened with Mr. Kamoshida, now would be the perfect time!”

“Well that’s not why I’m runnin’ again. I became a total slack-ass over the past year.” Ryuji flexed his muscles. “I’m tryin’ to get some of my old energy back, y’know?”

“But why stop at your energy? I’m sure with Kamoshida being exposed for what he is, we can get your entire life back on track!” Shizuka leaned back in her chair, a proud smile on her face. “Pun intended.”

Ren snickered as Ryuji shook his head.

“I get what you’re sayin’, Mom, but it ain’t that easy. My rep isn’t just goin’ back to what it was before I got in that fight with Kamoshida.” Ryuji sighed. “Like, I talked to some of the guys from the track team, and even if Kamoshida baited me into hittin’ him, what I did still messed up their lives for a while too. Even if we could blame Kamoshida for all of it, the shit I did doesn’t just go away.”

The cat yowled in surprise, followed by a series of meows that almost sounded like it was communicating some kind of approval to Ryuji.

“Of course I take responsibility for it!” Ryuji snapped. “My life’s not gonna get better by actin’ like some chickenshit asshole who runs away from his mistakes!” Ryuji looked back to his mother. “The thing is, Mom, even if I could go back to the ways things used to be, I don’t think I’d want to.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Shizuka asked. “You’ve got to be doing something with your time, right?”

“I’m already doin’ it! Me and Ren are Ph-“

Ren started coughing violently, hunched over his plate.

“WHOA!” Ryuji jumped up from his chair. “You okay, dude!?”

“Do you need anything?” Shizuka asked. Ren responded by lifting up his head and pointing to his throat and he clammed up, trying to hold the coughs in.

“I think he needs the Hind Kick Maneuver!” Ryuji raised up his hand to smack Ren’s back. “It’s like this, right!?”

Ren shook his head vigorously and stuffed some rice in his mouth, chasing it down with some water. He finally stopped coughing and exhaled in relief.

“I think a fishbone got caught in my throat” Ren said in a hoarse voice. “I’m good now.”

“Are you certain, Ren-Kun?”

“Yeah. Just give me a minute.”

“Alright then…” Shizuka looked up at Ryuji, who was still standing. “So, what were you saying, Ryuji?”

“Oh, uh…” Ryuji scratched his head and he sat back down, trying to remember what he was talking about. “Oh yeah! I was sayin’ that me and Ren are Ph-“

Ren coughed again. Just briefly, this time, nowhere near as dramatically as before.

“Sorry, sorry. Guess my throat’s still recovering.” Ren cleared his throat, then continued in a very strained voice. “ _What_ were you about to say, Ryuji? I’ll try to _control_ myself this time.”

“Uh…” Ryuji seemed to have lost his train of thought again, before his eyes widened. “Yeah, yeah! Me and Ren are figurin’ out what we’re gonna do together goin’ forward. Neither of us can go back to how things were before but if us troublemakers stick together, we’ll figure things out, right?”

“Yeah.” Ren chuckled. “I get that ‘we’re figuring things out’ might not be the most helpful answer, Shizuka-San, but it’s the truth. Sometimes when a lot happens to you, you just need to take some time and rethink things.”

“Well then…” Shizuka looked at Ren and Ryuji. The two of them seemed… content. Maybe even more than that. Maybe just genuinely happy. “Good for you two.”

“Really?” Ryuji looked at his mother in surprise. “That’s it?”

“I’ll admit, I’ve been concerned lately. More than usual, even.” Shizuka paused to take the last bite of her dinner then pushed her plate aside so she could put her elbows on the table as she addressed the boys. “Ryuji, you haven’t really been yourself for the last year. And in the last couple weeks you’ve seemed so distant, but that all seems to be over now. And I suspect that Ren-Kun’s had something to do with that.”

“Well, uh…” Ryuji looked at Ren for something to say, but just got a shrug in return. “I mean, yeah. I guess.”

“Well then, that’s enough for me. At least for now.” Shizuka smiled, her eyes starting to water. “You're finally ready to start living life, again, Ryuji. I’ve been waiting for this for so long!”

“Aw, c’mon, Mom!” Ryuji started to get choked up. “Don’t start cryin’ about it!”

The cat meowed again.

“Shuddup, Mona!” Ryuji’s eyes started to leak fluids too. “This ain’t none of your business!”

Ren watched awkwardly for a minute as the Sakamotos struggled to rein in their emotions, finally calming down enough for Ryuji to finish his dinner. With the meal over, Ren helped clear the table and left with his cat, noting that his caretaker would likely be angry about him getting home so late. Ryuji began washing the dishes as Shizuka inspected the area where Morgana had been eating to make sure the cat didn’t leave any kind of mess.

“Thanks for lettin’ Ren stay for dinner, Mom” Ryuji said as he dried off the last plate. “I know you weren’t expectin’ another mouth to feed. Or two, I guess.”

“It was no trouble at all.” Shizuka stood up straight and stretched out her back, satisfied that the cat hadn’t left any nasty surprises on her floor. If nothing else, it seemed to be a very fastidious animal. Perhaps that was in part thanks to its owner, who himself had been quite polite.

As Shizuka reflected on the evening, she found her earlier desire to discuss the situation with Kamoshida had completely passed. After all, Ryuji hadn’t brought it up. Shizuka was so sure that he’d want to vent and scream about everything the criminal teacher had put him through, but instead he just wanted to hang out and play games with his friend. And in a way, that was better, wasn’t it? Ryuji was ready to finally move on. So maybe Shizuka could too.

“Feel free to invite Ren-Kun over anytime” Shizuka said to her son. “He seems like a good friend.”

“Yeah…” Ryuji grinned. “He’s rad.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! What's bonkin'?


End file.
